Physical Description and Personality: Tall, well-built, and quite possibly the most handsome human at FireFly, Sarn is genuinely unaware of his good looks. His generally placid and phlegmatic nature belies an absolute killer-warrior in combat. Happily takes on the administrative burden for the squadron from his boss, LTC Gluk Koth; admin stuff doesn't bother him at all.

Generally thoughtful and contemplative when time permits, Sarn can easily make the "tough call" on the spur-of-the-moment, when necessary. Happily married to Lilith Reglia (nee Chalco). Has a healthy respect and admiration for the Bone Drivers at FireFly.

Physical Description and Personality: Tall, well and solidly built, she wears her red hair cropped in a short, neat "pageboy" style. While an accomplished combat pilot, Lilith still realizes that she's way out of her league against the more long-service veterans of FireFly, often leaving her feeling less confident than she should be, and so she endeavors constantly to improve her tactical acumen and combat piloting ability.

Takes her job as Flight leader very seriously, ensuring that her people's training and abilities are progressing, as her former mentor, New Republic Captain Sarn Reglia, taught her by direct example, which is one of the reasons she resigned her commission with the New Republic to join FireFly.

Captain Shearran and Lieutenant Reakhas have been discretely working with her to build her confidence and to "bring her out of her shell," to mature fully into the warrior she is more than capable of being, if she would only trust in herself a bit more.

Physical Description and Personality: Short, somewhat stout. Jiuk Yeel is an empathetic "motherly" type, with an open, warm personality that encourages people to open up to her. Being somewhat pragmatic, she has a tendency to at least attempt (occasionally) to rein in her almost suicidally aggressive boss (and long-time friend-and-mentor) Ash DuQuennes.

Being a skilled, decorated attack combat pilot, though, she's often driving into the fray right alongside him, and her "mothering" may quite possibly take the form of telling less capable, less aggressive pilots to pack their kit and look for more safe, sane, and sedate work somewhere else.

Physical Description and Personality: Tall, and lanky. Upon first meeting him, people often wonder how in the hell he manages to even fit in a snub's cockpit. Fortunately, he's a Y-Wing pilot, and while a Y-Wing's cockpit is still cramped compared to, say, a light freighters, it's relatively "roomy" (for values of "roomy") for a snub fighter.

Ellors is quietly dour and pessimistic, with a biting wit. His favorite pre-battle activity is cataloging the odds against them, and enumerating for his comrades, in vivid detail, the manner in which they are very likely to soon die. In spite of that, he flies and fights with a cold precision and calculated aggressiveness, never wasting a single shot; his gunnery scores are excellent.

Physical Description and Personality: Lushly curved and solidly built, she wears her slightly curly black hair in a "high-and-tight" cut. She has an elaborate, colorful tattoo of a greater Krayt Dragon, with the tail starting at the base of her spine, extending up her back, and across the left side of her back, shoulder and neck, and ending with the dragon's toothy maw and head on the entire left side of her face. The overall effect is that the dragon is "hanging" by its fore claws from her left shoulder. Off-duty, she dresses in revealing clothes to show off her figure and tattoo to good effect. Has a dedicated following amongst the unattached males at FireFly, and she's steadily working her way "through them."

Brashly forthright and plainly (aka "blunt") spoken, Amee doesn't quite share her boss's absurd sense of humor, but it has rubbed off on her a bit over the years.

Amee is almost OCD when it comes to "dotting i's and crossing t's," which makes her a natural as an XO; she's also as close to being a martinet about unit discipline as the nature of FireFly allows; it was General Salm's example of "unit cohesion leading to unit survival" that led her to being as strak as possible. But she's not unreasonable about it, fully realizing that she's riding herd on seasoned combat veterans and comrades of many years.

So she has lots of experience and accumulated wisdom on when to "see things," and when not to "see things," and when to "handle matters" with her people in public, or behind closed doors so as not to unduly embarrass or shame someone.

Physical Description and Personality: Slender build, with braided and beaded beard. Burukt is a quietly observant type, with a dust-dry, understated sense of humor. He always seems to have a slight smile on his face, as if he's about to laugh at some private, inner joke. Burukt has a friendly, running competition with Anamiika Byxby when it comes to stealth puns, and to see just how dry their wit can get.

Burukt is adept at gleaning info on enemy fighter's capabilities and intention by not only how they're equipped, but in how they form up, and fly. He loves to get "inside their heads" when fighting, almost toying with them the way the cat toys with the mouse, right before the claws come out. Ash has admonished him over the years, half-jokingly, "Burukt, quit playing with your food."

Surprisingly, Burukt is also a slightly well-known published poet, but under a pseudonym; he's somewhat popular with fighter and combat pilots, as his poems are typically about the ethereal nature of combat life, the joys and sorrows of starfighter battle, comradeship, etc.

Physical Description and Personality: Average hight (for a Nautolan), and solidly built due to his favorite extracurricular activity: swimming. Either in the lakes and rivers around Tirahnn City, or in the salty ocean in Tirahnn Bay, Hiskar loves to swim in his off time. Like most Nautolans, Hiskar tends to reflect the moods/feelings of those around him. Considering his XO, as well as his 3rd Flight Leader, his "typical" mood is "cheerfully aggressive and bloodthirsty." He has the quick, often morbid, bloody/dark sense of humor of a seasoned combat veteran, and some wonder if he's "playing with a full deck."

The Warhawks in general, and Hiskar in particular, may be Colonel Kodi Morrigan's biggest headache; she'll often find herself restraining the aggressive squadron from flying directly into a fray, heedless of odds or of an overriding mission to "cover" a consort, like a convoy of freighters.

For all that, though, Hiskar and the Warhawks are seasoned, disciplined veterans, well-versed in unit cohesion and mutually-reinforcing combat tactics, and will not disobey orders to go seeking "fame and glory" in combat. In fact, their often (seemingly) chaotic and free-wheeling tactical style might be just the thing to throw at an enemy to get them thoroughly disoriented and discombobulated.

Physical Description and Personality: Average for a "wolf-man," with a medium build for his species.

Sirul never had the ingrained xenophobia of his people, and takes people on how they act; he judges people by their nature and deeds. For all that, he's definitely the "Noble Warrior" type, an old-fashioned "Cavalier" seeking the most worthy foes to test his mettle and valor. Not surprisingly, he has struck up a firm friendship with 1LT Rakki Tch'marl and his wife, SFC Elga Roml-Tch'marl, the leadership team of the Ground Force's 4th Platoon.

His noble, chivalrous nature has inspired not only his own 2nd Flight, but much of the Warhawks as well, such that they sing, as a squadron, over an open channel, a battle hymn of his people.

Supremely self-confident to the point of cockiness, Renei is pure, stereotypical Corellian, a "Never-Tell-Me-The-Odds!" type as she cheerfully takes on any and all comers in starfighter combat (actually, any kind of combat; and, in spite of her size, she’s surprisingly capable). She openly boasts of being descended from a long line of smugglers, rogues, scoundrels, and pirates, and does indeed have immediate and extended "clannish" relations with questionable pasts, sketchy criminal records, and a passing acquaintance with various law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities throughout the galaxy.

Didn't really want to get into naming everyone on the roster while inspiration was striking, but over the course of the next week or two, I'll likely take on the task of fleshing out a roster of pilots and gunners in the Warhawks and Banshees.

If yinz see any problems in the post, just let me know and I'll get it squared away.

W.W.G.D. - What would Grimace do?

What kind of dust?
Dirt-laced dust. Probably originating from the ground.

The good news being that it looks like after months of unemployment, I'll probably be back among the working within 1-2 weeks, possibly as soon as Tuesday (though that's pushing it). The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of wrapping up school, keeping a bunch of job leads straight, returning calls, interviewing, etc. But *hopefully*, once the dust settles, I'll once again have a normal schedule. Hopefully.

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately, which really has suited me just fine for now, but I still wanted to give you gentlemen an update on my situation.

W.W.G.D. - What would Grimace do?

What kind of dust?
Dirt-laced dust. Probably originating from the ground.

Time, Geography, and Other Background Fluff

The standard Tirahnn workday is 4 hour shift, a 4 hour midday break, and another 4 hour shift, followed by 16 hours "off." Obviously, just as on Earth, not everyone adheres strictly to this schedule.

FireFly doesn't. Since everyone is "salaried," a typical FireFly workday is 9 hours, with a 1 hour middday break. This is not a "hard-and-fast" rule, as we have a 4-ship/1 corvette contingent "up in space" at any given time, as well as a Reaction Squad at Starport Control, and at least 1 squad on "Guard Duty" around the hangar at all times.

The fighters and ground troops work on 4 hour shifts; the CR90's probably do a couple days "on," couple of days "off' rotating schedule.

The standard Tirahnnian week is seven days; the standard Galactic "five" plus two "weekend" days of rest. The days of the week are (with the first corresponding to "Monday"):

Since FireFly has continuous personnel commitments, the work schedule is structured to ensure that people get every other weekend "off."

The Tirahnnian month is four weeks/28 days, 9 regular months to the year, and a shortened "Year End" Month of 20 days, with two regular work weeks and a shortened, six day "holiday week" at the very end (four work days, two weekend days). There are various Tirahnnian holidays scattered throughout the year.

The "Timekeeping" indices on the posts I have put up so far have been using the Galactic Standard Calendar.

Kodi Morrigan was born at the height of the Clone Wars to Corellian Rear Admiral Ennis Morrigan and his Soccoran wife Sira. Having spent his entire career in the Republic Navy, Ennis’ daughter was born into the life of a military brat, travelling from station to station across the galaxy with her father and his fleet. While she was born during the clone wars, Kodi’s earliest memories are of growing up in the newly minted Empire, where her father continued his role as a flag officer. She was very much the ‘daddy’s girl’, wanting to join him as he fulfilled his naval duties as often as possible, and hearing stories of his bravery and tactical acumen from his colleagues. From an early age, there was little doubt that she’d follow in his footsteps in some way. After her schooling was complete, her father was able to secure her an appointment to the Imperial Academy (rare for a female student), where he hoped her analytical mind would win out over her taste for adventure, and she’d abandon her daredevil hopes of one day leading a TIE squadron into battle, instead, he hoped she’d follow in his footsteps and pursue a captain’s commission.

As it happened, however, neither of these possible futures were realized, as Palpatine’s anti-female sentiments saw her bids for commission turned down time and again (often in favor of less-talented male competitors). As it happened, though, during this time she had the good fortune of meeting Raith Sienar on Coruscant who, impressed with her thoughts on his own TIE/ln design as it related to its primary role in Imperial tactics, offered her a position on his design team working on what would eventually become the TIE interceptor.

With SFS, Kodi served as an intermediary between her small group of test pilots, and the engineers and analysts on the development team. Her flight experience as well as technical know-how gained at the Academy allowed her to smooth communication between the brief, understated comments of many of the test pilots, and the more in-depth data that would actually be useful to the designers. She would take a simple, “In our last exercise, prototype four was getting loose in hard turns.”, evaluate the craft in question, conduct a few tests of her own, and then inform the team that their weight-reduction measures in the wing bracing was leading to micro-fissures in the strut which caused immediate degradation in maneuverability, and in a combat situation, a hard turn could literally tear a wing from the frame...then go on to offer several suggested workarounds.

Through this time, her father maintained his commission, though he grew increasingly critical of the direction in which the Empire was taking the galaxy. While Ennis Morrigan was wise enough not to voice his opinions, he quietly began arranging for his retirement. Eventually, he received word from friends on Alderaan about what had really happened to the planet: they’d been flying out of system when the Death Star arrived and destroyed their world. This was his breaking point, and he immediately put in for his discharge, which he received with honors and promptly took his wife back to Corellia. Here, they quietly became involved in the Resistance that was well underway. Through their network, he sent word to his daughter about what had gone on, and urged her to come home at her earliest convenience.

In making her break from SFS, Kodi did more than just resign; she shared this new information about Alderaan with several of her test group, specifically, a few women who’d been similarly passed over for commission who’d now become close friends, including a pair of sisters from Alderaan. In their departure, while they could do nothing to halt or even slow the production of the new TIE interceptors they’d helped develop (that were even at that early stage already having great success against rebels), they took copies of full technical readouts, stress test analysis, and performance data for the new interceptor, and offered it to rebel contacts on Corellia as a sign of their goodwill, volunteering for roles flying fighters for the Resistance. While Kodi’s father wasn’t thrilled at the new dangerous direction his daughter’s life had taken, he was at least pleased to see her stand against tyranny...and her boldness would eventually convince him to lend his tactical mind to the rebels within the next few years.

Kodi As a Rebel

As part of the Alliance, Kodi and her three friends from SFS were immediately evaluated for flight aptitude, and placed as pilots for the third flight of a veteran squadron of Y-wings. After being used to flying the speedy and agile TIE interceptors, the quartet had trouble adjusting to the comparatively slow, lumbering bombers, and after a few requests, were given a chance to fly what was then the Rebels’ fastest interceptor, the X-wing. Again starting off as the third flight of a veteran group that had suffered battle losses, the ladies quickly proved their worth in their first few engagements, and with Kodi as the flight leader, they started racking up an impressive record of kills.

When the A-wing arrived on the scene somewhat later, Kodi was given the chance to take one for a test flight, but afterward, she commented that she’d actually grown quite comfortable in the X-wing, and while she’d choose the A-wing on flying alone, when fighting was factored in, she’d rather stick with her now-familiar X. When she made this decision, her superiors promoted her to squadron leader as part of a general restructuring of the Alliance from a group of loosely connected, isolated cells, to a more formal military force. As such, she found herself both a learner (about the command structure and overall campaign tactics of the Alliance) and a teacher (with extensive formal education in battle-level tactics, small unit, and single starfighter tactics, and especially Imperial tactics...not to mention general dogfight experience, which was extremely lacking among Alliance recruits at that time). After many weeks of reorganization and a squadron selection process, she was given one month to hastily train her people, then report to a staging area near Sullust, to prepare for what would be the Battle of Endor.

At the battle, her unit acquitted itself well, though it suffered heavy casualties of nearly half the unit as they ran interference for the death star attack group as they made their approach, putting Kodi’s Viper squadron between the hammer and anvil of the Executor’s fighter complement and the Death Star’s surface guns. Still, they managed to accomplish their mission, and within a few weeks of the battle, the squadron’s losses had been replaced with new ships and pilots.

That lineup of the group stayed more or less intact, with Kodi going to great lengths to keep her people alive over the next several years, through the slow decline of the Empire and the slowing of the pace of war to a fairly equilibrium state. As Kodi saw more and more veteran squadrons disbanded, and politics playing an ever-increasing role in determining the safety of her people, she eventually talked to them, and the vast majority of the squadron requested discharge together. The group eventually added two replacement pilots to fill the holes left by the pair that hadn’t left the military with them, and after acquiring a few X-wings set for decommission, struck out on their own, working as anti-piracy escorts for private shipping interests.

Recently, they’d entertained offers from a few similarly identified “security” groups, only to discover that they were little more than common mercenary brutes. In time, Kodi hopes to find a place in the galaxy for her people, as part of a more organized and respectable group.

Physical Description & Personality: Kodi is a fairly tall (by human female standards), thin, striking woman with bronze/copper skin and dark brown heavily curled hair (suggesting her Soccoran heritage) in tightly wound ringlets usually kept pulled back in a simple knot when out of a flight helmet, and pulled up tight when in her craft. Her gold-green eyes carry a lot of emotion, and she’s quick with a bright beaming smile.

She’s a highly disciplined and assertive leader that has been in the military long enough to know how the typical chain of command works (both for and against her) as well as how to treat superiors and subordinates alike to get what she wants. When it comes to her people, she has a reputation for unwavering loyalty, since they know she puts their safety above all else. When it’s time to fly she is dead serious, though in off-hours she’s not obsessive like some officers, and certainly is able to let her hair down in the company of her own people, specifically those she’s spent the most time with (and even more specifically with her lifelong friend Hallyce Ardo-kai).

As part of a larger task force, she presents a keen tactical and analytical mind, with obvious specialty in starfighter tactics, but from years of working in concert with other types of forces, she also has an almost intuitive understanding of how her particular skills play into the strengths and weaknesses of the overall force, and in this regard she shows glimmers of her father’s mind for fleet tactics. While she’s careful to remember her place, she will not hesitate to point out potential pitfalls or side effects of an ally’s tactical decisions. From years of serving with the increasingly bureaucratic New Republic, she has little time or patience for politics, especially when they have any impact whatsoever on her freedom to command her squadron as she sees fit.